Chapter 12
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The Male and Female Leads Broke Up - Episode 12
Nothing could have happened in such a short time, but I asked the Young Boy just to be sure.
"In the Circus Troupe...."
"In the Circus Troupe?"
"There are other children besides me...."
Ah, I see.
Since the Young Boy had mentioned his number was five, it was certain there were at least four other children numbered one through four.
"There are four more, and those children came before me."
The Young Boy spoke slowly, but I listened patiently to every word.
"I don't think I can do it. Looking at the situation, I can't just escape alone like this...."
I understood immediately what the Young Boy meant.
Guilt over escaping alone had overwhelmed him.
"Since I've come this far, if I don't go back, the others will probably be beaten severely in my place."
The Young Boy was telling me he would return to the Circus Troupe.
"You're saying you'll go back?"
"...Yes, the other children are smaller than me, so they won't be able to endure the beatings."
"You had a chance to escape that place. And now you're saying you'll throw away that chance yourself?"
At my words, the Young Boy's eyes wavered helplessly.
But as if his resolve had already been set, those wavering eyes soon showed determination, and he nodded carefully.
"The Circus Troupe said they would leave this place early tomorrow morning. So if I want to leave with them, I need to go rejoin them now."
'Why is he so foolishly kind.'
From our earlier conversation, the Young Boy had only been with the Circus Troupe for a month.
Yet in that short time, he was so worried about the children he'd lived with that he was now throwing away the opportunity of a lifetime to gain his freedom.
It was frustrating and yet somehow understandable, which made my heart feel a bit heavy.
"Thank you. I will never forget the grace of your rescue for the rest of my life."
The Young Boy's head bowed deeply and then rose.
After that, he turned around and walked away, and the distance between us grew wider.
As I watched his retreating figure, I wondered what to do.
I thought about whether I could only let the Young Boy go, or if there was something I could do now.
And after making a quick decision, I ran after him and grabbed his wrist.
"Wait!"
The Young Boy looked at me with startled eyes.
"I'll help you."
"...What?"
"I'll get the children out of the Circus Troupe for you, so let's go to the Inn first. My escort knight is at the Inn. So let's go to the Inn together first."
It seemed the Young Boy wouldn't accept my explanation unless I laid out the reasoning in exhaustive detail.
So I spoke rapidly without pause, my words tumbling out one after another.
"...But it's far too dangerous."
"Didn't you see what I did earlier?"
"I did see...."
"I'm telling you this just between us—I'm far stronger than that. So don't worry. And like I said, I won't be going alone. I have my escort knight, so naturally he'll be formidable, right?"
I made an effort to explain myself at the Young Boy's eye level.
I thought that emphasizing strength would be the most convincing argument for a child.
"But Bell, ah, I'm, I'm terribly sorry."
"It's fine. You can call me Bell."
The Young Boy flinched at having used the name I'd taught him so casually, and seeing his distress, I offered him a reassuring smile.
"So, I still don't understand why Bell is helping me like this, or whether I'm even worthy of receiving such kindness...."
Why was I helping this child to such an extent?
Truth be told, even I harbored some doubt about my own motivations in this moment.
I could have simply pretended not to notice, feigned helplessness, and walked away.
I could have rationalized it to myself—that our connection ended here, that I'd done my part—and called it finished.
But such thoughts dissolved quickly.
The pain that had taken root so deeply within me, embedded so firmly in my heart, compelled me to help this child.
My past life before coming here had rendered me incapable of doing otherwise.
I was an orphan abandoned by my parents from birth, and that was the greatest sorrow and anguish in my life—something I could never change.
And once I reached an age where I could think and hope, I prayed constantly.
That someday my parents would find me.
That they would come to retrieve me.
Or if not my parents, that someone—anyone—would pull me from this bitter loneliness.
Because I had spent countless hours yearning for this, I had impulsively purchased the Young Boy from those men.
Didn't this child harbor the same feelings as I once did? Didn't they too wish for someone to save them?
I had transformed from a child desperately grasping for someone to hold my hand into an adult capable of holding the hand of a child seeking salvation.
And so my heart whispered to me relentlessly—I must not abandon this child.
In doing so, it was telling me that I still had work left to do.
Therefore, all of this was for the Young Boy's sake, yet it was also a path that eased my own heart.
"Well, I wonder why."
I smiled warmly and bent down to meet the Young Boy's gaze.
"Because I like you. Because you're precious to me."
"I'm precious to you?"
"Yes. You truly are precious. And you remind me of someone I know. That's why."
"Who...?"
"Someone I loved more than anyone."
Since no one had ever loved me, I had loved myself more than anyone else.
"Now, let's go. We must hurry if we're to save your friends."
When I arrived at the Inn with the Young Boy, Mary stood before the entrance, pacing with visible anxiety.
And upon seeing me, they rushed over in a panic.
"Miss!"
"Mary."
"Miss, where have you been? You didn't even say anything! I've been looking for you this whole time!"
Mary pressed me with agitated questions.
"The Festival was happening, so I went out to the Street. I'm sorry—did you search for me a lot?"
Her entire face was drenched in sweat.
Feeling how desperately Mary had searched for me, I offered her an apology.
"No, miss. I'm just relieved you've returned safely. I was truly worried. What if something had..."
Mary bit her lip hard, unable to finish her sentence.
She seemed to be imagining terrible things—that something might have happened to me.
"By the way, where's Sir William? Don't tell me he went out searching for me too?"
"Of course he did. How could any escort knight remain idle when you disappeared? But he should return soon. He promised to check in with me every hour to report the situation."
And as if on cue, the sound of hoofbeats thundered against the ground.
"There he is now."
I noticed Mary's expression flush slightly as she spoke.
"Miss!"
William approached us rapidly, gripping the horse's reins tightly as he called out to me loudly.
"Sir William."
I deliberately kept my expression calm and composed, as if nothing had happened, not wanting them to think I'd caused them unnecessary trouble.
"Miss, where exactly did you go? I searched this entire area and couldn't find you—I was so worried."
"I heard there was a Festival, so I went out to the Street and came back."
"Then you should have told us and gone together. If something had happened to you, I would have..."
William trailed off, muttering to himself.
"I'm sorry. I wanted to go out alone and come back quietly."
I answered with an embarrassed smile.
"I'm relieved you're safe. That's what matters. But..."
William's gaze shifted from me to the child at my side, and Mary's eyes followed his to the Young Boy.
"Oh, this child is someone I brought back. I'll explain the details later. But right now, there's something urgent."
I briefly summarized everything that had happened and then told William what we needed to do going forward.
"So you're saying we need to rescue children around this child's age from the Circus Troupe?"
"Yes, exactly that."
"But miss, won't removing the children carelessly cause a major commotion?"
"I don't think it will. From what I can tell, the Circus Troupe doesn't seem to be holding these children legally."
"If it's not legal, then..."
"They either kidnapped them or forcibly took children who were wandering the streets."
"Then shouldn't we report such villains to the Security Force?"
Mary's voice, cutting into the conversation between William and me, was tinged with anger.
"The Security Force?"
"Yes. We should report them to the Security Force so that such a vicious Circus Troupe can be prevented from operating."
William nodded in agreement with Mary's words.
Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org